Theo Bamber, chief executive of NMA. Picture: Submitted
The News Media Association (NMA) has called on the UK Government to back the Competition and Markets Authority in regulating Meta following the announcement of its new AI scraping terms.
Publishers are “shocked and disgusted” by Meta’s proposed terms, NMA chief executive Theo Bamber told Press Gazette, adding the platform is “holding news publishers over a barrel” by demanding access to content to train its AI products.
Meta gave notice of updated terms and conditions in October , which give it sweeping rights to scrape content from any publisher that uses Instagram and Facebook and reuse it – whether that content was published via those platforms or not.
Publishers have until 20 November to decide whether to leave Meta social platforms, a deadline that has been extended from 30 October following publisher backlash.
The changes have already prompted legal and regulatory action: Norwegian media companies have won an initial court victory against Meta , with the legality of the new terms to be reviewed by a court before they come into effect, and the CMA has opened an investigation into whether Meta’s proposed new AI scraping terms could “unfairly harm” news publishers.
Some publishers have already announced they are leaving the platform altogether, including Norwegian local newspaper Fjell-Ljom in Røros and US local newspaper McKinley Park News .
Bamber, who replaced Owen Meredith as CEO of the trade body for UK national and regional newsbrands in April 2026, said that “serious action needs to be taken” and Meta’s delay is “not a solution”.
The NMA is calling for the government to support the CMA in using its powers under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act to challenge Meta’s terms. Bamber said while the CMA is “the best placed regulator in the world to compel Meta to change course”, it needs support from the government to do so.
“If you are asking your regulator to regulate the biggest, most powerful companies in the world, you as the government need to be very public and full-throated in your support for them, and show them that you’ve got their back,” he said. “If the legislation is there and the regulator is there, the government of today has got to back them to the hills.”
Facebook a ‘cesspit of rubbish’ without publishers
Bamber also called for Meta to be designated as having Strategic Market Status similar to Google , which would mean it would be found to have substantial and entrenched market power and allowing the CMA to ensure the platform trades on fairer terms with publishers.
“The reason Meta can do this is because they are playing on a dominant market position, so that needs to be really seriously considered… We’ve seen the arrogance and the way that you know tech companies just think they’re untouchable,” he said.
Bamber added that the changes are particularly concerning given that Meta needs news publishers on its platforms, particularly Facebook which is a “cesspit of rubbish” containing misinformation.
Bamber’s calls for greater regulation for Meta come as publishers continue to face pressure from declining Google traffic this year, as a result of algorithmic changes on its search and Discover platforms and its AI Overviews preventing users from clicking through to news sites.
Press Gazette has reported on major losses at Mail owner DMG (formerly DMGT) , impacts on digital revenue at Reach and The Sun and Future’s share price plummeting .
Bamber said that the CMA has made some progress in ensuring that publishers have more choice over how their content is used , but the fundamental issues remain and Google needs to bring forward its Conduct Requirements which will “compel Google to negotiate in good faith with publishers”.
“The impact of this is not felt instantly necessarily, but the Conduct Requirements for Google Search are a significant step forward towards levelling the playing field and building the fair, transparent digital economy that we need,” he said, adding that the regulatory response to both companies provides the UK with an opportunity to establish a world-leading framework for digital markets.
“Meta has really shown its true colours and its willingness to use overwhelming dominance to try and extract and squeeze out all the value it can from publishers’ content while giving nothing back. The need for that support and the need for that support to come now to facilitate the extended pace of intervention that’s required is incredibly important,” he said.
“The CMA, and then by extension the government, has the chance to oversee a world-leading regime for digital markets… I think that’s the positive opportunity here that exists, and we hope that they step up to the plate and take it.”
Bamber’s comments come as the NMA marks its Journalism Matters campaign, an annual week-long event that celebrates the “vital role” that journalism plays in national life.
“There are people across the country, amazing, talented, committed journalists, doing really wonderful work that holds power to account, tells stories that people need to hear, and they go unseen, and Journalism Matters is our chance to shine the light on that,” he said.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham wrote an article for the Manchester Evening News to mark Journalism Matters week this year, sharing why trusted local journalism is vital to holding governments to account, tackling misinformation and giving people a stronger voice.
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